Until the End
by Gaurdianangelzelos
Summary: FE10 From the day they met, Sothe and Micaiah's lives have always been entertwined. Finally, we learn the story of how they met, their reunion after the war, and more...COMPLETE


_I was browsing through the Fire Emblem section one day and could hardly believe that so few stories about Radiant Dawn are actually here. So, here's my contribution (and attempt) to put a good one into here. Mainly, this is only a one shot focusing on the three most defining moments in Micaiah and Sothe's relationship with each other. For anyone who is checking up just to see what's happening with my Naruto story, rest assured that I am not abandoning it. I've merely decided to write something a little bit different for once. Besides that, I don't have anything else to say. I hope you enjoy the story!_

_Don't own Fire Emblem or Nintendo

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In the crowded streets of Nevassa, the great city of Daein bustled with activity. It was hardly possible to even walk a few steps without bumping into another shopper. It was always like this on Saturdays, when everyone would walk out to the market and use their week's pay to buy what foods they needed for the week. Not only that, but winter was no more than a couple weeks away, which only added more to the chaos…it was prime conditions for stealing.

A small boy, no more than seven years of age quietly walked around the busy shoppers, seeking out a target. He wore only a tattered green tunic along with a brown scarf that was wrapped around his neck. He would need to find some decent winter pants soon, or he would risk freezing to death in the winter. Nevassa was infamous for its punishing weather at the end of each year, and none knew it better than this boy, who had lived on the streets of Nevassa longer than he could even remember. But he could always just steal a new pair from some noble's house on the higher levels of the city. For now, he needed food.

Picking out the most crowded area, he nimbly walked through the crowd with none giving him a second thought as he passed by. All he needed to do was find one unaware target that had a couple too many groceries. Perhaps a noble of some kind…though the child knew that the recent plague that had ravaged through Daien left few nobles left, an already poor nation in comparison to its neighbors, Crimea and Begnion.

Finally, the boy found his target, a tall, plump man with a pure white robes and a large mustache, browsing through the butcher's shop. In his right hand he held a basket of fruits and bread, which contained four loaves at least.

The boy quietly walked into the shop, walking around for a couple minutes to give himself the appearance of a mere boy who was wishing that he had enough money to buy one of the meats for that night, slowly making his way toward the unsuspecting man. With the expertise that he had learned through many years of stealing, he idly passed by the man and plucked a single loaf from the basket. Not missing a single beat, he continued walking while holding the loaf of bread close to his body, not making a sound or even smiling in triumph. After all, who would take pride in knowing that the only way that they could survive is to steal…

"Hey! Boy!"

The green haired youth turned around, seeing the plump man pointing at him with his face now purple in anger. If he had the time, the boy would have hit himself for turning fully around. The noble's eyes went first to his basket, then to the bread, and finally to the boy that was holding it, his face becoming contorted in rage.

"Thief! I've been robbed! Guards! Guards!" he yelled, causing everyone in the street to become silent and look over at him.

This was the boy's signal to run. Darting through the crowed, he turned the corner and into a nearby alley. He could already hear the footsteps of men following him. The boy was fast on his feet, but he knew that he would have to think of something fast to avoid capture from the guards, it would only be a matter of time before they would lure him into some kind of trap.

Taking another left, he quickly placed his bread on the ground and knelt down, grabbing the bars of a sewer drain and pulling the bars up with them easily sliding off its hinges. He had found this particular hiding spot nearly a year ago while trying to escape a situation that did not differ much from the one he was in right now. It had saved him many times before from caputure. Grabbing his lunch, he jumped into the drain and replaced the bars above him, breathing heavily.

Suddenly, clanks of armor sounded above him and three guards scrambled above the drain, their heads darting around for wherever the boy had gone. The small child understood how desperate the guards would want to catch a thief in hopes for an extra bonus to their weekly wages, anything that would help support themselves or their family. The boy felt no sympathy for them though. All that mattered to him was surviving, nothing else and no one else mattered to him.

Finally, when the clanks of armor stopped and about five more minutes passed, the boy removed the bars from above him and pulled himself out of the drain. Putting his back to the wall, he looked down at his bread and saw, to his horror, that it had become drenched by Ashera knows what when he had thrown himself down into his hiding place. Even with how hungry he was, he knew that eating it now would do nothing but make his chances of falling ill even greater than they already were. Disappointedly, he threw the ruined meal to the side and stood back to his feet, walking down the back ally in silence with his head bowed.

"Please, I beg of you, please help us."

The boy's messy green haired head darted up just before he turned the next corner and was immediately up against the wall by the unknown voice. Cautiously, he edged down the ally and looked around the corner. A woman perhaps in her late twenties or early thirties was holding a small girl that looked about four years old in her arms. She appeared to be asleep, but her face was as white as the robes of the man the boy had just stolen the bread from and was breathing irregularly. No doubt, this girl had become another victim of the plague that was terrorizing Daien.

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid that this is beyond my abilities."

The boy then saw that the woman was not alone. A young girl, about the age of fourteen by the looks of her, stood across from the woman, a brown cloak wrapped around her body. The boy was immediately in awe of her. Her silver hair fell to her middle back, seeming to sparkle even in the dimly light ally. Though her expression was in total grief, it still did not hinder her doubtless beauty. Never before had the boy ever seen someone such as this girl. It was as if he was looking at an angel of Ashera…

"But you are the Silver Haired Fortune Teller, are you not?" the woman asked, as tears fell down her face. "I-I've heard that you have the ability to heal others injuries. Please, try and save my daughter. I wouldn't be able to go on without her. She is all I have left!"

"But this is a sickness, not an injury," the girl said sadly, shaking her head. "If it was an injured arm or a skin infection, then I would be able to help you. But this is beyond my power. I'm sorry, but I just can't."

"Even so, can you please try," the woman said, pulling her daughter closer to her body. "That is all I'm asking you. If it is unsuccessful, then so be it. But please…just try. I beg of you…"

Closing her eyes the young girl took in a deep breath and reopened them once again. Slowly, she walked forward toward the woman and outstretched a glove hand from beneath her cloak, putting it on the child's chest. A sudden light green glow slowly appeared from her hand, illuminating the ally as she began to whisper in a language that the boy could not understand. She continued to chant, going on for several minutes, all the while, her face became more and more strained. Whatever magic she was performing, it was obvious that it was severely draining her. Yet she did not stop, not allowing herself to give in.

Finally, the glow faded, and the silver haired girl took a step back with her eyes closed, breathing deeply. At first, the woman looked at the younger girl in despair, closing her eyes. Suddenly, they shot open again and she looked down at her arms. The girl began to shift in her arms, looking up at the woman above her.

"Mommy?" the girl whispered, looking up at the woman.

The woman suddenly burst into even more tears than ever before, yet they were now of joy instead of sorrow. Looking up at the girl, she smiled happily. "Thank you, oh thank you!" she said as she continued to weep. "You don't know what you have done for me. Thank you so much! If there was anyway that I could repay you…"

"Please," the girl said gently, raising her hand in protest. "You don't need to do anything for me. It is my pleasure."

"You are too kind," the woman said, still smiling. "If there is anything that you ever need, I live on the second level of Nevassa. Just ask around for Margret and you'll be able to find me."

"Thank you," the girl said, smiling kindly at the woman. With one last thank you, the woman walked out of the ally and into the street, still crying happily and holding her child.

After the woman was out of sight, the young girl's hand went to her heart and she leaned up against the wall, breathing deeply from exhaustion. The young boy continued to watch her, completely amazed at the miracle that he had just witnessed. This girl, she must be an angel. How could she not be with such magic?

The boy jumped in surprise as an orange blur zoomed past his head. The figure let out a small chirp, revealing itself to be a bird, and landed on the right shoulder of the young girl. The girl looked over at the bird and smiled, using her gloved finger to tickle the bird's yellow stomach.

"There you are, Yune. I was beggining to get worried. You usually aren't gone for so long," the girl said. The bird let out a small tweet in response. "Really?" the girl asked, looking farther down the alley…the direction that the boy was. He immediately straightened back up, hiding himself from the girl. Had she spotted him? And how could she have known that he was there? He hadn't made a sound ever since he had arrived...

"It's alright," the girl's voice called through the ally. "You don't need to hide, I won't hurt you."

The boy's first inclination was to bolt out of the ally and not look back. What if she found out he was a theif and turned around the first moment she had and turned him in? It wouldn't surprise him at all. And yet...the way she had healed that small child...and the strain that she had gone through to make sure she succeeded. How could he expect someone like that to be that cruel...?

Hesitantly, the boy walked around his corner and stood down the ally, watching the girl cautiously. Did she know that he had been spying on her? Would she be mad?

"Don't worry," the girl said with a soft smile. "You have nothing to fear from me."

The boy continued to watch her warily. Slowly, he began walking toward the girl. Soon, he was only a couple feet away from her. She looked to be about two feet taller than he was. The boy looked up at her light brown eyes. They were so kind…but the boy could also sense much pain behind them. It was something he had learned to find in others since he was barely five years old. Was it some kind of gift he was blessed with, or was it a skill he had come to possess by experiencing so much pain himself. He wasn't too sure. But he was completely sure that something had once happened to this girl that had scarred her soul. He could tell just by looking at her…but he did not know what.

"Hello there," the girl said softly, outstretching her arm slowly. The boy immediately began to draw back, but stopped when the girl's hand stopped again. "Good afternoon. My name is Micaiah."

The boy looked once to the girl and then to her out stretched hand. Not knowing why, he slowly raised his trembling hand and placed two of his fingers into her hand. The girl clasped her own around his, gently grasping the smaller fingers.

"There, that wasn't so bad, now was it?" the girl named Micaiah said, still smiling kindly and holding the young boy's hand. "Like I said before, my name is Micaiah. What is your name?"

The boy looked up at her. He had never trusted anyone before in his life. He had never learned how to trust anyone before. He had never even learned another's name before now. He had always been by himself, looking after only himself. But now…there was something about this girl. Something different. Something that…made him want to trust her. He didn't know what it was but...it felt nice.

"I'm…Sothe," the boy said, a smile spreading across his face for the first time in a long while…

**--Nine Years Later--**

On a high rooftop during the dead of night, a lone, tall figure stood silently, overlooking the great Daein city of Nevassa. No one stirred, though the young man was not the least bit surprise of it. There would be no one celebrating anything for quite some time now, since the country had just lost a great war that they themselves started. It had been a bloody, hard fought war, taking nearly a year to finish. Everyone knew that things were going to change now. Whether it be better or for worse, they would all have to see.

The country wasn't the only thing that had changed though. Pulling back his hood, the young man revealed his green hair and piercing brown eyes. Sothe, now sixteen years old, felt as if he had returned to his home as a brand new man. It was an almost foreign place to him now. When he had returned with the Crimean Army to conquer the city, he had little time to actually look around town again before he was required to set off once again back to Crimea to finish off the man responsible for the entire thing, Mad King Ashnard.

Sothe had grown much since he had last called the city his home. He was nearly six foot tall now, though he had a small ways to go until then. Not only that, but the three years that he had spent searching for his long lost friend and fighting for Commander Ike had put some serious muscle on his bones. He was stronger, smarter, and much faster than he was when he had first left on his journey.

But the way he looked was only a small portion of the changes he went through. Perhaps the biggest differences that Sothe had gone through were ones that could not seen. The term "sub-human" which used to role off of his tongue as if it was the most natural word in the world, he now looked at as disgraceful. He had learned well how similar he and the laguz really were. Mordecai was without a doubt one of the kindest and gentlest beings he had ever met in his life. Not to mention Maurim, Sothe's new found friend Tormod's foster father, seemed nothing more than a protective parent than a savage beast. The only savage beasts that he had met in his travels were the feral ones, who had been warped by the doing of fellow beorc, his own race.

The people that he met also changed his views on many "kinds" of people. At first Sothe thought that Astrid, a girl who turned out to a noble who had joined the army, was nothing more than a spoiled child who knew nothing about war. In actuality, she was a kind woman who was trying to prove to the world that she could be her own person, not a pretty souvenir that could be given away without a second thought.

And Ike, a mercenary, was one of the truest and bravest men he had ever known. He had once thought that mercenaries were nothing more than dirt bags that just killed to make a living. Now, after meeting each member of the Greil Mercenaries, he knew that people could not be categorized by the blood in their veins or their occupation. They were what they were on the inside. And this was the lesson that Sothe had learned in the last year, and will take with him for the rest of his life. And it was all thanks to Commander Ike, the one that showed him the error of his ways. He knew that he would always be indebted to him, and hoped that he could see the swordsman again someday.

With a mighty leap, Sothe jumped off the side of the one story building and rolled forward when he came to the ground, softening his fall. He straightened up again and began walking down the ally way, looking up at the clear starlit night that was above him.

A sudden arrow flew out from the darkness and grazed the side of his head, not enough to draw blood but enough to take off a couple of hairs from atop his head. The deadly missle stuck to the wooden pole that was a couple feet behind him, hitting directly in the center of a large knot in the wood.. Looking back at it, he casually pulled out the arrow and examined it, obviously impressed.

"You've gotten better," Sothe said with a smile, looking into the darkness. Out from the shadows, a blonde haried young man about two years younger than he was walked out, smiling widely at the green haired boy in front of him.

"Good to see you again, Sothe," the boy said.

Sothe gave the arrow back to the blonde archer and smiled back. "Good to see you again too, Leonardo," Sothe said cheerfully. "Now where in the world is…"

"Gotcha!"

Sothe suddenly fell to the ground and tried to struggle to his feet, but found that someone had placed their boot on the top of his chest, pinning him down.

"Gee, Sothe," the young man above him said, grinning down at him and finally removing his foot from the boy's chest. "How the heck did you ever survive out there by yourself if you can't even sense me sneaking up behind you?"

"Maybe, Edward, it's because I didn't expect one of my old friends to sneak up from behind and tackle me," Sothe said, grasping the hand and allowing himself to be helped up.

He took a moment to examine the two of them. Leonardo's hair was now much longer than it had been when he had first left. He remembered a time when the boy had lectured Edward about his hair being too long, now his blonde hair nearly fell all the way to his shoulders. He now wore a large quiver on his back that was filled to the brim with arrows. They were probably made by Leonardo himself, since weapons were hard to come by outside of the army.

Edward had grown nearly as tall as Sothe had, though still shy by a couple inches despite the two years difference between their ages. He still wore the same happy smile, though he now wore a sword at his side, which he had his hand on in pride.

"It's great to see both of you! So where's everyone gone?" Sothe asked, looking around to find any sign of the other members of their "gang". "I haven't seen anyone forever, have you guys moved the hideout to another place?"

For a moment, Edward and Leonardo just looked at each other, causing Sothe to become suspicious.

"Well?" the green haired thief asked, looking at the two.

"…They had all gone off to the war about a year ago," Leonardo finally said. "We stopped receiving mail from them a couple of months ago. We don't know what's happened to them."

It felt as if a lead rock had suddenly been dropped into Sothe's stomach. The casualties that the Daien army had taken during the war had been devastating. Though, that could only be expected. After Begnion and Gallia finally joined with Crimea, the entire nation had pretty much given up on the war all together, or so said the talk around town when Sothe had first returned.

"But hey, look on the bright side, we're back together again," Edward said, slapping Sothe on the back friendlily. "It had been getting lonely with only the three of us here on our own! It's great to see you back, Sothe!"

"Three?" Sothe asked, raising his eyebrows in interest. "I thought you said that everyone went off to the war."

"Well, no offence, but do you really think that they let women in the army these days?" Edward said. "Well, I guess that Petrine woman was part of the Four Riders. And now that I think about it, I have heard that Crimea and Begnion have been doing a lot of that lately. Never really thought a lot about it myself…"

"Women?" Sothe asked, suddenly becoming completely serious. "What do you mean?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot," Edward said, slapping his forehead. "You've been gone for such a long time you probably never heard. Micaiah's back! She returned a couple months ago. She's been helping out with the citizens here after Crimea-"

"Micaiah is here?!" Sothe yelled, his voice echoing through the entire ally way. "Where is she?!"

"Sothe, just calm down," Leonardo said. "She just left about an hour ago to take a walk. She went down that way and…"

Sothe didn't even hear Leonardo finish his sentence. As soon as the blonde archer pointed in the direction he said Micaiah had gone, he dashed down the ally as fast as he could. He paid no mind to the shouts from his friends behind him as he ran. There was only one thought on his mind at that moment. After all this time of searching…had he finally found her again?

The thief suddenly came to a three way fork and halted, looking down each of them. He cursed softly as he tried to look through the darkness of each of them, trying to find some sign of his lost friend.

A soft chirping suddenly reached his ears, and Sothe froze. Turning his head upwards and to the right, he gazed up at a small, orange feathered bird looking down at him, cocking its head slightly to the side as if examining him.

"Yune," Sothe spoke softly, not believing his eyes. The bird suddenly took flight off of its perch and took off down the left ally. Sothe didn't waste any time. He immediately rushed after it, listening to the soft flapping in the silent night.

The bird circled around a corner and darted behind it as soon as Sothe caught sight of it again. The green haired boy stopped when he came to the corner and heard the flapping stop. Breathing deeply, he slowly walked around the corner gazing down the ally.

Sitting on top of a rundown old bench sat Micaiah, gently stroking the stomach of the small bird that was on the opposite shoulder of where Sothe was. For a moment, Sothe only stood there, watching her. She had grown, though he was now much taller than her by quite a few inches. He knew all too well about the laguz blood that flowed through her veins, which was probably why she looked so similar to what she had looked like since he had last seen her. Actually, the two of them probably appeared to be the same age now. Her silver hair still sparkled in even the smallest amount of light, giving her a mystical look that would entrance anyone.

Slowly, he walked toward her, a large lump seeming to have appeared in his throat. Here she was, right in front of him after so many years. What should he say? Should he just go back and wait for her to return to the hideout? ...No. It had been too long. He had waited for too long.

"Micaiah," Sothe said, though he seemed to have to force it out of himself to say it.

The young girl looked over in his direction casually when she heard her name, but her mouth suddenly fell agape when she finally saw who had addressed her. For a minute, the two of them just stared at each other in silence, completely lost for words. Even her bird had gone silent. Slowly, he walked toward her, completely aware of every single step he took. Just as slowly, Micaiah rose to her feet with her right hand over her heart. Sothe noticed that she still wore the same glove that she had when they had first met nearly ten years ago…

"Is that really you, Sothe?" Micaiah asked, looking up and down at Sothe in shock.

"Yeah," Sothe said stupidly, not able to think of anything else to say. Suddenly, it felt as if a mighty flame that had been dormant inside of him for so many years exploded. "Where have you been?!" he cried out, his voice piercing the ally's silence. Micaiah's bird suddenly leapt from her perch on Micaiah's shoulder and off into the night.

"Sothe! You scared away Yune," Micaiah said sternly.

"Forget about your damn bird!" Sothe yelled, throwing his arms up in the air. "You've actually _seen_ that bird for the last three years after all. Just answer my question! Where the hell have you been?! Do you even know how long I've been looking for you? Do you have any idea all the things I did to try and find you?!"

Micaiah stood there speechless in front of him, completely shocked at what she was hearing.

"Sothe, please," Micaiah said soothingly. "You need to calm down…"

"Calm down?!" Sothe yelled even more loudly. "Why should I calm down now?! I've only been spending the last three years searching high and low for you and worrying the entire time! Not knowing if you're alive or safe. For all I knew, you could have been captured by someone who learned of your heritage and thrown you in jail just because they felt like it. You could have been kidnapped and forced to work for some ass hole somewhere in a remote village in Begnion! For all I knew, you could have been _dead_!" he shouted, the last word seeming to echo through the ally more than any of the others.

"Ever since the day you left," Sothe said, this time more quietly but still not losing any of his seriousness, "there wasn't a single day when I didn't think about you. I worried everyday about you, even when I was fighting in the war...There were so many times when the only thing that kept me alive was the thought of seeing you again. Don't tell me to calm down. You have no right to tell me to do anything…"

"Sothe," Micaiah whispered softly, approaching him and placing a hand on his cheek. "Please, calm down. It's alright, I'm right here. Everything is going to be okay. You don't have to keep crying."

The thief gasped as his hand went to Micaiah's hand and pulled it away. Letting go of her hand, he brought his back up to his face. Sure enough, his face had become covered in tears. He was crying? Him? He hadn't cried for over thirteen years. And now, without him even knowing...he was actually crying?

"I'm sorry, Sothe," Micaiah finally said, looking close to tears herself. "When I heard that Crimea and Daein had gone to war, I rushed back here as soon as I could to try and find you again. But by the time I got back, Crimea had already conquered Nevassa and had moved on to finish the war in Crimea. I'm so sorry, Sothe. I thought…that it would be better if I wasn't around you anymore. I thought you would be happier. But…I'm sorry. I didn't know you would…"

Suddenly, Micaiah jumped into Sothe's arms, embracing him. As soon as she did, Sothe wrapped his around her slender body as well, holding her tight. Looking up into the night, he silently thanked the Goddess for reuniting him back with the one who was now like a sister to him. For the first time in three years, the world had become absolutley perfect.

"Micaiah," Sothe said, pushing the silver haired girl back slightly so that he could look at her in the eyes. "I forgive you. But in return, I need you to make a promise."

Micaiah remained silent, still looking up at Sothe.

"I need you to promise me that you'll never do something like that ever again," he said seriously. "Never leave my side. I've learned a lot since we've last met. I can protect you now…and I will. From this day on, I vow that I'll always be beside you to protect you from anyone that wants to harm you. You have my word Micaiah…I won't let anything ever happen to you."

Again tears begun to threaten to return in the girl's eyes, but before they could, Micaiah again embraced Sothe, holding him tighter than ever before. Sothe smiled happily though, knowing that his long quest to find his dearest friend had finally come to an end. And that they could finally be together again…and they always will be.

**--Four Years Later--**

Sothe idly sat alone in one of the many great hallways of Castle Daien. Now a man of twenty, Sothe had grown to the height of six foot two, now even taller than Nolan. Though still slim, he still possessed plenty of muscle, though admittedly some of it was courtesy of Yune when she had given him some of her power to combat Ashera two years ago.

He sighed, taking out one of his many daggers which were hidden beneath his coat and flipping it up in the air before catching it repeatedly, trying to relax himself. He needed some time alone, there was just too much on his mind. So many things had changed since the end of the last war. Pelleas had given up the crown of Daein barely even a year after he was crowned king. When he did, he had handed it to the one person he had said that he knew would lead Daein into a bright future, Micaiah. At first, she had flat out refused, but was eventually convinced by the purple haired spirit charmer.

Ever since then, things couldn't have been any better. Daein was now on its way into a time of prosperity and everyone knew it. Crops were growing faster than they ever had before, their alliances with all of the other countries of Tellius could not be any better, and reconstruction of the country was going well. Daein was not the only one that was doing well. Queen Elencia had regained the respect of her country and was now known far and wide for her wisdom and kindness alongside her husband, Geoffrey. Begnion had regained its order as well, and Sanaki was now searching far and wide for new, more trustworthy senators for her country.

All in all though, Sothe felt as much the same as he was since they had first freed Daein. He still rarely combed his hair because he was too lazy to do so, traveled the streets of Nevassa every now and again to escape the boredom of the "high life", and most of all, still remained beside Micaiah just like he had ever since they had reunited again four years ago. Now, they were closer than they had ever become before. So close that they…

"Well, how do you do, _King _Sothe?"

The green haired man turned his head curiously to the side, but smiled when he saw the one who had addressed him. Standing down the hall in an orange sleeping robe was Tormod, wearing his usual goofy, cheery smile that seemed to never disappear. For once, he didn't have his green headband on, which almost made him look unnatural. Sothe wasn't surprised though, who would keep a headband on when they slept anyways…well, besides Commander Ike of course.

"I'm not King yet, Tormod," Sothe said, though he rose to his feet and grasped his old friend's hand in friendship. "And I thought you would know that it was the last thing on my mind when I-"

"Yes, yes, I know," the mage said waving his arm at the former thief. He had grown in the last two years, finally hitting his much desired growth spurt. Though only average height, Sothe no longer towered over him like a giant like he had when they had reunited during the liberation of Daein. "You always take things too seriously, Sothe. Besides, I always thought that it beorc tradition for the best man to give the groom a hard time the day before his wedding. Not that I would know or anything, I haven't even been to a wedding before."

"Rumor has it that another one might not be that far off in the distant future with how much time you and Sanaki have been spending with each other," Sothe said to his best friend, nudging him in the shoulder.

The fire sage's face suddenly went redder than his hair. When the war had ended, Tormod and Maurim set out immediately to free any and all laguz slaves that were left in Begnion. Though he always said that he still had a long ways to go, he has already become a legendary name in the laguz community, saving hundreds of slaves from their masters. A year later, Sanaki set out to form a new counsel for senators, and Tormod was one of the first to be asked. Ever since, the two of them have been having frequent "meetings" to discuss future plans for building relationships with their laguz neighbors, or so they said.

Sothe had asked him to be his best man about a week ago, which the mage replied with a very quick and happy yes. When he had told everyone of his decison, Leonardo and Edward both seemed extremely let down. Shocking enough as it was though, they quickly declined when Micaiah offered them a spot as bride's maids. The very thought of his former companions in dresses still brought a smile to Sothe's face.

"So what brings you up at this late of night?" Tormod asked as he and his long time friend took a seat next to each other on the bench that Sothe had been sitting on before he had arrived. "Micaiah sent me out looking for you when she found that you weren't around an hour ago. She's looking around in the west wing now and Pelleas is looking in the upper levels. Something on your mind?" he asked while leaning back and putting his hands behind his head.

Sothe let out a large sigh and leaned backwards against the wall as well, looking up at the high ceiling above his head. It was a short time later after the battle at the Guidance Tower when Sothe finally confessed his love toward Micaiah. Not the love as if she was a sibling to him like he had always claimed, but the love of someone that you wanted to be with for the rest of your life. Someone you could never live without and loved with all of your heart. He had been overjoyed when she responded in kind. For a couple months, he was the happiest person on the face of Tellius. That all seemed to have changed though, right after he had asked her to marry him.

"I've been wondering, Tormod…" Sothe said, still looking up at the ceiling. "Sometimes, I wonder if I made the right decision. If I was right to ask her to marry me."

"Don't tell me you're having second thoughts now," Tormod said sternly, looking at Sothe in a surprisingly disapproving stare.

"It's nothing like that," Sothe said, shaking his head. "It sounds so corny when I say it but…I really do love her. More than I could ever have thought possible. But still…I feel like I might have done something wrong. Everyday I grow older, because I'm a beorc. But Micaiah is a branded…I have nothing against her for what she is, but what if I didn't made the right decision. She's six years older than I am, Tormod. But still, she looks as though she is just now approaching her eighteenth birthday! Sure, perhaps some people will turn a blind eye to someone like me marrying her. But things aren't going to change. I will continue to age and Micaiah will continue to stay the same, and there's nothing I can do to stop that. Eventually, she's going to look like she's twenty five and I'm going to be in my eighties!"

The mage beside him stayed silent, looking at Sothe sadly.

"I just don't know if this is right or not," Sothe said, running his hand through his green hair. "What if by doing this, I'm setting Micaiah up for even more pain than she had ever experienced before? What if she would be happier if I would just leave her…"

Unexpectedly, his friend pulled back his fist and punched Sothe in the shoulder roughly. The former thief looked at the mage beside him, impressed that he was able to hit as hard as he had despite his scrawny body.

"Of all people, I would think you would know better than that," the slightly shorter man said beside him, leaning forward. His voice was not angry or stern. It seemed more like he was counseling Sothe instead of lecturing him. "Think about what you went through when Micaiah left you because she thought it was best for _you_. After that, you spent three whole years searching for her across the entire country. I bet you probably would have crossed the Desert of Death if someone told you she was there."

Sothe continued to stare over at Tormod, completely shocked at seeing this new side of him. For once, he was acting serious and almost wise at the same time. It turns out that there was a brain underneath that hot head of his…

"I can't say that I know what's going to happen to the two of you, Sothe," Tormod said, standing to his feet. "But there is one thing I do know. When I look at Micaiah now, she seems happier than I've ever seen her before. Sothe…it's because of you that she is so happy all of the time! I won't lie to you and say that there won't be challenges in your future with her, but that is something that all couples must deal with when they wed, no matter if they're beorc, laguz, or even a branded. And if I know you like I think do, I know that you'll be brave enough to face all those challenges head on, just like you always have for her."

Still, Sothe remained silent, but still looked up at his good friend with a small smile of thanks. With one last reassuring smile and nod from the sage, he turned around and headed down the hall.

Finally, when Tormod was out of sight, Sothe stood to his feet and made his way to the window, gazing out at Nevassa, his home, like he had done so many other times in the past. Though it was quiet, he knew that by morning the city streets would be filled with cheering citizens in celebration of their queen's wedding. Sothe chuckled though, knowing that probably most of them wouldn't even know who Micaiah would be marrying. For the most part, he was still known more as "that guy that always follows the Queen". He was no different than any of the rest of them, a normal beorc who had gotten caught up in too many things and somehow found his way through each of them.

"Oh, you give yourself too little credit, Sothe."

Sothe spun around in surprise, putting up the dagger that was still in his hand from before up into a defensive position. His arms fell limp though when he saw just who had called his name. A young girl, looking no more than seven years old, sat behind him on the same bench that he had been sitting on. She wore a plain, yellow dress and had curly brown hair that would have nearly touched the floor if she had been standing up.

"Yune?" Sothe asked, not believing that the Goddess of Chaos had just reappeared in front of him. "Why are you here?"

"Is that all you have to say to me?" the seemingly small girl asked before hopping down from her seat but still smiling widely at the man in front of her. "Never have any of you fleshies asked me how have I been or anything. All you ever do is just gawk at me and begin to ask me demanding questions. You know, it does start to get annoying after a little while."

"Alright, how have you been?" Sothe asked, relaxing a bit. He could tell that the Goddess had changed little, if at all, since they had last met. He still remembered when she was so angry at Ike for calling her a "Dark God" that she had refused to speak to him not long after she was released from the Medallion.

"Just fine, thanks," she replied, giggling. "It's kind of nice to take some time off without having to be cramped up in that stuffy old medallion all of the time." She stretched her arms as if to emphasize her point. "And as for your previous question about why I'm here, I've come here to help you out, Sothe."

"Help?" the green haired man asked confusedly. "What do you mean?"

"I see a lot of things, being a Goddess and all," Yune said walking forward so that she was only a few feet away from Sothe. "And I've been watching you for a little while now. By the way, congratulations with asking Micaiah to marry you. I was beginning to wonder if you would ever get on with it. Anyways," she said, waving her arm to change the subject, "the point is that I've been noticing that you've been having a hard time lately, so I decided to break my promise just this once so that I can reward you for your good work."

"Good work?" Sothe asked, scoffing at the comment. "I don't know what you're talking about. Micaiah and Ike always did all of the real work. All I've been able to do is tag along and take out an enemy or two that were ever in our way. I feel like I've hardly done anything at all…"

"Oh shut up you," Yune said sternly, looking as if she was going to kick him in the knee. "You give yourself too little credit. Don't you see Sothe? None of all these great things that are happening right now would have ever been possible if it hadn't been for you! Because of you, Micaiah had a reason to return back to Nevassa when Crimea and Daein went to war with each other, fell in love with her county, and eventually founded the Dawn Brigade. Because of you, Micaiah was able to remain safe for so many years! You are more important than you can ever possibly imagine, Sothe. Yes, just as important as Micaiah and Ike even. And like I said, because of your hard work, I'm going to reward you."

Yune unexpectedly lifted off the ground and hovered in front of Sothe. Becoming eye level with him, she slowly lifted her hand and placed it on top of his green haired head, smiling reassuringly at Sothe as if she could sense his confusion.

Suddenly, the seemingly young girl began glow with a fiery blue light and began to stretch down her arm. Finally, it reached Sothe and wrapped around his entire body. Sothe felt no pain though. Instead…he felt good. As if something warm and comforting had entered his body…something that he couldn't help but feel as if he already knew it…

Finally, the Goddess removed her hand from Sothe's head and slowly floated back down to the ground, looking up at him. "Well, that's it. That wasn't so bad, was it?"

"Um…no," Sothe said scratching his head in confusion. "Not to sound ungrateful for whatever you did to me or anything Yune but…what exactly _did_ you do to me?"

"Well," she said, taking a couple steps backwards and placing her hands behind her back. "It turned out that when I left Micaiah's body I ended up taking a little bit of her with me when I left. I only gave that little part of her left in me to you. If anyone, you deserve it the most." Sothe still looked down at her in confusion. The Goddess sighed deeply and shook her head before looking back up at Sothe. "Some of her soul is in you now…so the two of you are now even more linked than you have ever been before. The two of you are more like one being than two separate people. Now, you will age the same rate as Micaiah, and you'll be able to live together for the rest of your days together. Isn't that cool?" she asked girlishly.

Sothe stood there silently, looking down at Yune, completely lost for words.

"…I don't know what to say," he said, kneeling down so that he was now eye level with Yune. "How can I ever repay you?"

"Don't worry, you don't have to do anything for me," Yune said, smiling kindly at Sothe. "All you have to do is promise me one thing. Continue to watch over and take care of Micaiah. Just like she is to you, you are more important to her than anything else on Tellius. Just like you did for her, she would go to the end of the world to be by your side. Make sure you keep it that way. That's all you need to do."

"Don't worry, you have nothing to worry about with that condition," Sothe said smiling. "…Thank you. You don't know how much this means to me."

"Actually, I do," she said laughing again, her bright laughter filling the empty hallway. "After all, I am a Goddess." An erupting blue light seemed to explode from Yune, making Sothe shield his eyes from the intensity of the light. Before he reopened his eyes, he heard the flaps of a bird's wings fly by his head. Turning around quickly and looking out the window, he had just enough time to see the figure of a small bird flying down to Nevassa, chirping happily in the night air.

"Thank you, Yune," Sothe whispered, smiling out the window.

"Sothe?"

The tall man looked away from the window and down the hall. Standing farther down the hallways, still wearing her white sleeping gown, stood Micaiah with her arms crossed and an annoyed frown on her face.

"What are you doing up so late?" she asked, walking up to him so that she was only a foot away from him. "I thought that you would be getting a good night's rest before the wedding tomorrow. Tormod found me and told me that you were down here by yourself. Do you know how much I worried about you?"

Sothe smiled and wrapped his arms around his soon to be wife's waist, looking down at her in the eyes. "Sorry," he said, leaning down to give her a small peck on the lips. "Just excited for the big day tomorrow and all. I couldn't sleep."

"…Alright," Micaiah said, putting her arms around Sothe's neck and pulling herself closer to him flirtingly, their bodies now held up against the other. "I'll pretend to believe that for now until tomorrow. But after the wedding, you have some explaining to do."

"Is that an order, your majesty?" he asked, beginning to lean down again.

"Actually, it is," she whispered softly back, their faces so close now that each word she spoke brushed her lips against Sothe's. Again, the two's lips connected, kissing the other as lovingly as they could.

After another couple of moments, Sothe lifted his soon to be wife off her feet and began carrying her back to their room. He didn't need to tell her about what had happened that night just yet. He had plenty of time to tell her. He had all the time in the world now.

* * *

_Its official, this story wrote itself. All I'm hoping for now is that it wrote itself well. I literally started writing this story the following night that I thought of it and finished it in a single day (at 10:30 at night to be precise). Admittedly in the beginning though, I had chosen Nolan to be Sothe's best man, but then changed it to Tormod after I remembered how great of friends the two of them were the next day. So I guess I can't say that I "finished" it in one day. Oh well, whatever works, right? And yes, I know the ending is cheesy. You know you wanted it to happen._

_Anyways, I'm admittedly not expecting many reviews for this fic since the Fire Emblem is a relatively small community and also that Radiant Dawn is a relatively new game out as well, but that doesn't mean that I won't appreciate reciving some anyways. As fellow writers, you should all understand what it means to know that someone really enjoyed your story. It only takes a minute to do. Either way, I hope that you enjoyed the fic! Like I said, please review and have a good day!_

_GAZ_


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